Teddie Bear
by Midnightstar1390
Summary: Romano has never been good with children, so it's a big surprise when Antonio convinces him to volunteer at local daycare center. Though things take a turn when Romano connects with a lonely boy named Teddie and learns how to love, laugh, and live life to the fullest. Rated T for Romano's colorful language. Bad summary is bad...
1. Teddie

**Yeah, title sucks, I'll change it once I think of something better or I actually begin to like it…**

**AW BOY, ANOTHER CHEESY FANFICTION! I was reading one of my friend's fanfictions and got an idea for this one. I absolutely love those stories about troubled adults connecting with a small child that change their lives, I just think they're so dang cute. T_T Any ways, that's really what this fanfiction is going to be about. I know what's going to happen in the middle of this but the beginning is a little rough so I apologize for the quickness of this chapter. (Not like I wrote really long first chapters in the first place) This story is still in the works and might change a bit; I'll just have to see. But PLEASE, PLEASE review this once you've read this. I really love reviews, they keep me posting stories and I am open to any suggestions or comments. So, thank you and hope you enjoy.**

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><p>"You want help with what?" I ask hoping that he was seriously joking.<p>

"I want you to help me at the local daycare center! Come on! It will be fun!" Antonio clapped his hands together and bowed. We were at the park, the sun setting behind us and I was trying to head home before my brother got worried.

"I'm not going to help you drool over some stupid whinny ass brats, I have other important stuff to think about." I start to walk away and try to ignore Antonio's cries.

"B-but! I need help! The woman who works there has a child of her own and is pregnant! She can't work all the time and we really need a new person to help us!" he grabs my arm and grips it tightly.

"L-let go bastard! I said I don't want to help!" I yell trying to escape his tight grip, damn; I didn't know he was so fucking strong!

"Please! The pay is small but it's good enough! I swear, you won't have to do much! Just help me out when I need it!" he looks into my eyes like some puppy dog.

"No!" I finally yank away from his grip and continue to trudge away.

"Please?" Antonio continues to follow and whines even more.

"I SAID NO!" I snap back.

"Please! If you don't help the daycare center will be in big trouble! I don't want that! There's so many children there who really need this daycare center! The other ones are terrible!" he now sounds desperate, but I continue to try and ignore him.

"I fucking said…fucking…NO!" I turn around and see that he somehow disappeared. "…I guess…he finally got the message."

"PLEASE!" suddenly Antonio pops up behind me and I jump in fright and almost fall to the ground.

"GOD DAMN IT! FINE! I'LL HELP! JUST FUCKING LEAVE ME ALONE ALL READY!" I holler and run away.

"REALLY? FANTASTIC! MEET ME HERE AT ELEVEN O'CLOCK SHARP THEN!" Antonio hollers back and waves goodbye to me. I can't believe that I actually agreed to help take care of annoying whinny little brats…ugh, damn bastard.

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><p>"Romano~ wake up! It's ten thirty! You're supposed to meet Antonio at eleven!" my brother shakes me awake and I turn over to see that he was right. Shit, I slept in. I shot upwards and looked out the window, everything was still kind of blurry and I felt really groggy.<p>

"Fuck…" I mumble and stagger towards the bathroom. I turn on the facet and begin to splash my face with water, not realizing how freezing cold it was.

"FUCK! THIS IS FUCKING COLD!" I yell.

"Sorry Romano, I forgot to tell you that the hot water isn't working this morning for some reason…" my brother stared at my apologetically but that didn't quite cut it for me. I glare and try to endure the icy cold water until I finish washing my face.

I rush out the door and literally run to the park, it's eleven fifty, so I'm not that late. I continue down the street and the see Antonio on the other side casually walking and smiling like an idiot as usual. He notices me and waves. But he didn't realize he was standing in the middle of the road, and a truck was approaching him.

"WATCH OUT YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" without thinking I run over and tackle him aside. We both roll over to the side of the road as the truck zooms by. I take shaky breaths and look over at the other people staring at us. I didn't notice I was on top of him.

"Whoa…that was scary…" Antonio had a dazed look on his face then smiled at me. "But Romano saved me!"

"W-whatever…I was just trying to save you from being killed…" I blush a bit and try to look away from his eyes.

"Uh…are you going get off of me now?" Antonio shyly asks. I didn't realize that I was still lying on top of him and quickly get up. I brush the dirt off my clothes and try to ignore the many eyes looking at us.

"So…uh…where's this daycare center?" I try to lift the awkward atmosphere between us.

"Come on, follow me." Antonio walks off and I follow behind him without saying another word along the way.

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><p>We arrive at the small daycare building on this small area off to the side of the road. It was a bright yellow color with cheesy children's drawings all over it and shaped like an old school house. There were white stairs leading up to the small door with a small white fence surrounding the small area.<p>

"This is the daycare center?" I ask looking over at Antonio.

"Sure is! Let's go meet the kids now!" He walks up the stairs and opens the door. Every step we take makes the floorboards creak eerily. I look up and see one big room with children's toys and things all over the place. There were small kids all over the room and when they saw Antonio, they dropped everything they were doing and ran over to greet him.

"Hola Antonio! Come estas?" They all asked in unison.

"Estoy, muy bien, gracias. Y tu?" Antonio replies.

"Muy bien, gracias!" The children all smiled cheerfully and hugged him in one big huddle. I stare awkwardly as Antonio hugs them back joyfully and I swear that I could hear him _giggling_a bit.

"Everyone, I would like for you to meet my friend, Romano. He is going to work with us from now on. Say hello Romano!" Antonio glances over at me and my face heats up a bit. I hate it when I have this much attention towards me.

"U-uh…hi…I'm…Romano…" I stutter with my words and awkwardly stare at the million of little eyes staring at me. Then I notice a boy sitting in the corner flipping through a book by himself. He was very tiny and had messy black hair and had these big sad eyes that seemed hallow almost.

"That's Teddie. He's always sitting alone in the corner." One of the kids said. He must have noticed me staring at him. I blink my eyes and just stare at the kid. He stares right back and the room was completely silent. Finally Antonio tells everybody to go back to what they were doing and the kids scattered back to their places.

"Teddie is an odd 5 year old, he always sits alone in the corner trying to read some kind of book. I try to play with him but he says that he doesn't really feel like it. He's really distant with others and some of the kids have tried to include him but he just declines." Antonio stares somewhat sadly at Teddie and sighs. "I don't know what to do with him, it seems no matter what I try he refuses to interact. But he comes from a troubled home…"

"What's going on in his home?" I ask, now curious.

"His mother is struggling financially but his father constantly comes over and demands for money. He beats the poor woman to death if she says she doesn't have anything to give and Teddie helplessly watches. But, that's just rumors from the school. So I can't exactly say that it's true. I always walk him to this daycare center after school on weekdays and weekends his mother drops him off. But every single time he comes in, he just walks to the exact same corner and picks a book of the shelf and reads." Antonio takes a deep breath and I try to think of all that information he just told me. If Teddie's life is so fucked up, why doesn't Antonio try and help him out more?

I look over at Teddie again and see him trying to reach a high shelf for a book. I walk over and grab the book and hand it to him. He just stares blankly at me and blinks.

"Um…thank you sir." He quietly murmurs.

"Don't call me that, call me Romano. Also, no problem, I heard that you have quite the life back at home." I wasn't so sure if that last part was a good idea to say but I didn't really have anything else to say so that's just what came out.

"W-what? Who told you that?" he seems to be blushing now and looks really scared. Fuck, I really screwed up now. I try to calm him down by changing the subject.

"Uh…what book are you reading?" I ask stiffly trying to watch my words.

"Oh, it's one of my favorites I've read so far. It's about a boy my age who gets lost in the woods but a fairy helps him find his way back." He replies with a bit of cheerfulness in his voice. I have to say that he had good vocabulary for a 5 year old. I actually don't think this guy is too bad.

"So, uh, can you read?" Wow, what a stupid ass question that was to ask. Of course he can, why would he be trying to pick out a book if he couldn't? But Teddie replies normally.

"Yes I can Romano. I've been reading since the day I came here, which was when I was 3. It's one of the few ways I can escape from this place…" his voice falters a bit near the end and he looks down at the floor glumly. I look over at Antonio who's watching from a distance, he smiles and motions me to read to Teddie. I glare and turn back to Teddie who's still staring at the floor.

"Hey, what about I read to you for a change? It must be pretty boring just reading the book to yourself." I take a seat right next to him and hold out my hand for the book. Teddie looks warily at my hand and slowly hands the book to me. I flip to the first page and begin to read aloud.

"One upon a time there was a young boy with the name of Theodore. He lived in a grand mansion surrounded by rows of beautiful pure white roses. One day, when Theodore was out wandering around the gardens, he spotted a white rabbit scurrying through the garden. The rabbit hopped towards the woods, curious Theodore followed the rabbit ignoring his mother's words about how the woods was a dangerous place to wander into. Soon enough, Theodore did not realize how far he went and was lost. He looked around but could not see anything or the rabbit through the tall dark trees." I continue reading while Teddie sat right next to me and looked at the pictures on the pages. They were detailed drawings that looked like they could have been drawn with a really fine pencil.

I didn't realize how much I was getting into reading the story and I was actually enjoying myself at one point. I glance up and see Antonio grinning at me. He's wearing a bright red apron with a tomato sewn on it and his name right under it in curly letters. He gives me a thumbs up and goes back to playing with the other kids. I can't help but smile a bit; maybe working at this daycare center won't be so bad after all.

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><p><strong>Remember! Review and tell me if I should continue this or not! Thank you very much!<strong>


	2. The Little Mermaid

**Second chapter, well, not very many people have viewed this yet but I just felt like writing so here you go, also if I'm making a lot of grammar mistakes…(past, present, and future tenses seem to be my trouble lately) I apologize if that bugs you a lot, I'm still a young student learning English for goodness sake. T_T But, I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful Christmas since that it is Christmas today for me~**

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><p><em>RING, RING, RING! <em>My alarm clock sounded off and I was awoken from my dream state.

"Fucking morning and the fucking alarm clock…" I murmur under my breath, I look over to see my brother sleeping peacefully next to me not alarmed one bit. I look outside the window and see that it's another clear and sunny day today. At least I'll have some nice weather while I'm at the daycare center. I've been working there for a few days now and I've grown to liking it actually. Even though I mainly hang around Teddie that's enough for me. He's not like most kids, he's actually really smart and doesn't whine for stuff a lot. If I ever get stuck with a kid, I would want one exactly like Teddie. All you would have to do is give him books to read and he's good to go.

I stagger out of bed to the bathroom and begin to wash my face. The water was warmer this time and felt good to splash on my sleepy face. I hear some mumbling near the bedroom and realize my brother is awake. I dry my face with a towel and glance over at him, he smiles and waves cheerfully like always.

"Good morning Romano~! How are you today?" he asks.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." I reply with a not so cheerful tone. "Listen, I need to take a shower so go get me a change of clothes will you? Thanks." I shut the door without another word and turn the shower on. The water pours out of the showerhead with a hiss and freezing cold water follows. Fuck, the water is still screwed up. As much as I don't want a cold shower, I feel really dirty and need a good shower. I begin to slip my clothes off, also known as just my boxers since I don't sleep in anything else, and step into the shower. I take a deep breath and feel the cold-water drip down my body. I go through my thoughts on what could happen at the daycare center today.

Then the door swings open and I jump when I notice a figure standing in the doorway. Instead of my brother who SHOULD be standing there with my clothes, that certain bastard that annoys the shit out of me is here.

"ROMANO! I GOT YOUR CLOTHES! Now, I want to see how much you've grow—" I slap Antonio's out of the bathroom and slam the door and try to lock it tight. What the fuck was that bastard trying to do? I stand there butt naked staring at the door making sure he won't try and come in again. The door creaks open and I instantly prepare to slap him again, but this time it's my brother handing my clothes shyly.

"S-sorry Romano…I thought that you would like to see Antonio—" he quietly murmured the rest but I instantly snap back at him.

"BUTT NAKED IN THE SHOWER? FUCK NO! YOU'RE CRAZY!" I slam the door again and turn the shower off, I don't feel the need to take one anymore. But I mean…Antonio saw me…naked, GAH! FUCK MY LIFE!

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><p>I walk into the kitchen seeing Antonio cooking with Veneziano talking to him and laughing.<p>

"And then one time I was taking a bath with him—" Antonio saying that was enough for me to want to punch the shit out of him. I glare at Antonio who doesn't notice me until he sees my death glare at him.

"O-oh! H-hi Romano! I was just telling Veneziano some bath time stories! You were so adorable when we bathed together!" He flashed a big grin at me.

I could feel steam coming out of my head and my glare just got more threatening. I clenched my hands into tight fists and slowly walked towards Antonio. "What ever you fucking bastard, you're not going to have a tongue left to tell anymore _bath time_ stories." I grit my teeth at the words, _bath time_.

"My favorite was when you grabbed Antonio's-!" My brother was about to say something when Antonio quickly covered his mouth, nervously laughing.

"O-ok! That's enough Veneziano! Haha!" He stares at me with the "please-don't-kill-me-please" look.

"Whatever, are we going to the daycare center or are we going to tell more fucking stories? Huh?" I tap my foot impatiently and shoot a look over at Veneziano who's now looking afraid of me.

"U-uh calm down Romano, I just need to finish cooking breakfast and I'll be ready…" Antonio resumed cooking but kept looking over at me just a few inches away with my arms crossed and still glaring at him.

"Fine, whatever. Veneziano is perfectly capable to cook his own though." I said as I sat down next to Veneziano grabbing a tomato sitting on the table and taking a giant bite from it.

"…Besides, I've seen you naked before, plenty of times when you were little actually! I mean—" That's it, I'm through with this fucking bastard saying anything else about me being naked or whatever.

"Unless you want me to beat the living shit out of you, you better shut the fuck up!" I scream at Antonio who flinches in terror.

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><p>After Antonio was finally done cooking, we all devoured our breakfast in silence. Only Antonio and my brother exchanged a few comments here and there but I was silent throughout. We were finally done and Antonio and I were out the door. My brother wished us another smooth day of work and went off to call Ludwig and Kiku to come over for the day.<p>

Antonio and I are silent on the walk down to Teddie's school to pick him up. We approach the same street that Antonio almost got ran over and I watched carefully as he literally _skipped _across to the other side. I sheepishly follow behind trying to ignore the people staring at us.

We arrive at a small, flat, rundown building that is Teddie's school and we see through a big window Teddie's class getting ready to leave.

"Hey Romano, let's go say hi to Teddie through the window!" Antonio cheerfully walks over and stands in front of the window. Before I can stop him he's already scanning the room for Teddie. "Where's Teddie? I don't…oh! There he is!"

I step beside Antonio and notice Teddie in the back of the small cream white room packing his small backpack. All his other classmates are ignoring him and are in their own small groups talking or playing with crayons and such. I hear Antonio lightly tap the class and yell Teddie's name. I scan the area making sure no one can see us and grip Antonio's arm.

"Cut it out! Do you want people to think we're pedophiles or something?" I nervously whisper to him. Antonio stops and just smiles at me.

"No worries Romano! I've done this plenty of times, they don't mind." I then notice a woman, probably the teacher, see us and walk over to the window. She's actually quite beautiful, but has unusual purple eyes and long hair tied back in a loose ponytail with two loose strands of hair and one has a white lacy ribbon tied in one of them. She has a slim figure and is wearing a checkered pink and red apron with a plain white t-shirt and jeans underneath. Antonio smiles sweetly at her and I swear I saw her _blush_ at bit, which made me a little pissed off for some reason.

"Who's that?" I ask bleakly.

"She's Teddie's teacher, she's super nice and I've talked to her a couple of times! She's also a friend of the woman who owns the daycare. So she keeps an extra eye out for Teddie just cause." Teddie's teacher motions for us to come in and Antonio gladly accepts. He grabs my hand and we walk into the school in Teddie's classroom. The kid's stare at first but then resume to what they were doing. Teddie however ran straight to me and tugged on my coat.

"Hello Romano, how are you today?" he asks, his black hair in the way of his eyes. I look down at the small figure besides me and kneel down to his eye level.

"I'm fine, what about you Teddie? Read any good books lately?" I ask, knowing how much Teddie loved to read. He always seemed to read a new book every day I saw him.

"I read three new books today." He held up three fingers and began telling me about them. "One was about a city with no people, which is what it was called. There was a robot and it lived alone in the city. Another was about someone who found a lost dog and adopts it. And the last one was about the moon and a star making friends with each other." I can't help but smile a bit when he finished telling me the stories he read, he treated it like he was sharing super important information and had to make sure that everything was just right.

"That's good, I'm glad you're reading more." I said. Antonio was talking with Teddie's teacher and it seems they were having an amusing conversation because half the time they were laughing their heads off. I can't help but wonder what the hell they were talking about that was so funny. I causally stroll over in hope of pulling Antonio away from this woman.

"Uh, excuse us but we need to get going. I'm sure your friend is growing worried on where we are. So Antonio, let's get going." I grab his arm and pull him away while Teddie automatically follows behind. The teacher looks confused and watches as we exit out the room.

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><p>"R-Romano! I can walk by myself you know!" Antonio struggled to keep up with my fast and angry pace. I was pulling him along behind me to the daycare center not letting go of his arm since we left the school.<p>

"Whatever! I don't want you to get distracted! That's all!" I continue walking at a rapid pace until Antonio struggled out of my grip and looked at me with confusion.

"What's wrong Romano? Did I do something that upset you?" he asks.

"W-what? N-no, y-you were just wasting time talking to that t-teacher…" I look down at the floor beginning to blush. I hated it when I blushed because it obviously gave away that there was something wrong.

"Are you sure? You look red, haha, like a tomato!" Antonio added in the last part with a small laugh and poked my cheek playfully. I furiously slapped his hand away and began to stomp away when I felt Teddie grab my coat. I glanced down and saw his dark eyes stare into mine. They looked sad, almost like he was going to cry.

"I-is there something wrong Teddie?" I ask hoping he really won't start crying. But he just nodded and replied with his deadpan tone like always.

"I'm fine, I was going to tell you that you were going the wrong way, and walking straight into the street. The light was still red." I glance over at the light and notice he was right. The light was still red and I could have gotten myself killed since no one follows the speed limits here.

"T-thanks." I murmur. Antonio pats Teddie on the head and looks over at me probably for an approval to keep going. "Yeah, we can keep going." I blinked and let out an irritated sigh. We continue down the street towards the daycare center in silence.

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><p>"There you are! I was worried!" the woman rushed over to us with a worried look. This was the first time I saw her and was surprised by how young she looked, almost seventeen probably. Then I set my attention to her <em>huge <em>stomach bearing the baby she was pregnant with. Antonio tried to calm the woman down by saying we were having a "lovely" chat with her friend back at Teddie's school.

"Right Romano?" Antonio glanced over at me and I was still contemplating the woman's stomach not paying any attention to Antonio. The woman notices me and a small smile spreads across her face.

"Would you like to feel the baby?" she invites. I look up completely not realizing what she just asked and blushed furiously. Of course Antonio being the creep he is, agreed happily and felt the woman's stomach with a stupid grin on his face. I look over to see Teddie sitting in the usual corner he sits in staring at me. He's probably waiting for me to go over there and start reading to him.

"Oh! I think I felt him kick!" Antonio happily shouts. The woman laughs faintly and gently rubs her stomach.

"We're going to find out if it's a boy or girl soon." She says beginning to pack her things and head out the door.

"Do you have your hopes set on a certain gender?" I ask.

"Hmm, not really. My husband and I are fine with either gender. We already have a daughter so maybe another girl wouldn't be too bad, she would have a playmate then." The woman picks up her brightly colored cloth bag and waves goodbye to us. "Goodbye, I'll see you tomorrow morning." She steps down the stairs and leaves Antonio and I alone.

"That baby was so cute~." Antonio gushed; I just stared in disgust.

"How the hell do you think something you can't even see yet be so cute?" I ask curtly. Antonio just laughs sheepishly and walks over to put on his bright red apron and begin working. I walk away and go sit next to Teddie. Teddie looks up with a blank look and I stare right back.

"So, what do you want to do?" I ask, but I think I know what he's going to say.

"Read of course, I found another book I want you to read to me. I tried reading it, but I guessed that it would probably be more interesting if you read it." Teddie handed me a slim book with a mermaid on the cover. It was "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen. I thought that was kind of odd for him to pick that but I agreed to read it nonetheless. I sat down next to him and began to read aloud.

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><p>I only saw the Disney version of "The Little Mermaid", and never knew that it was adapted from another story. Turns out the little mermaid exchanges her tongue (by cutting it off, ew) to become human instead of the sea witch magically taking her voice away. Also not to mention when she's turned into a human every time she walks it feels like sharp swords enough to make her bleed, and then at the end she turns into some kind of daughter of the air or whatever. I was really confused throughout the whole thing and Teddie was even more.<p>

"Uh…sorry that turned out more…gruesome than what I remembered." I shut the book and peek over at Teddie whose expression hasn't changed since I started reading.

"That's fine, I actually enjoyed it. I mean, she was brave enough to not kill the one she loved most even if it meant that she could turn back to normal and forget all the suffering even happened." Teddie's deep opinion on the story kind of changed my mind. He really is one interesting kid. I look over to see Antonio playing with the kids like always. He's holding a plastic plate with a plastic piece of cake on it. He pretends to eat it while the other kids scurry around the small kitchen set "preparing" more food.

"Don't you ever want to play with the other kids?" I glance over at Teddie who's searching for another book.

"Not really, I have no interest in their games they play." He replies with a straight face.

"Why not? Don't you ever want to have other friends your age?" I continue to question why he's so damn distant from others. I mean I was sort of the same way when I was younger. But I wasn't _that_ distant from others. I really only hung around Antonio because he was the only person I trusted and knew at the time.

"They just don't understand me. I hate it." Teddie's voice became tight, he got quieter and glanced over at me. For once he actually had some emotion in his eyes, anger. I suddenly feel bad for making him upset and quickly apologize.

"It's no problem at all Romano, I have my problems." He insists and continues to look for a book. I swear, I don't believe this kid is 5 years old sometimes.

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><p>"How was your hangout with Teddie?" Antonio asked. We were walking down the chilly streets back to my house; I was assuming a big plate of pasta was awaiting me since my brother cooked that all the time.<p>

"It was good, he was acting kind of strange though. I tried to understand why he was so distant with other people but he just said that they didn't understand him and he hated it." I glance over at Antonio who has a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hmm, makes sense to me, but I'm glad that you made friends with him. I bet he's not as lonely as before." Antonio smiles as he pats me on the back. A faint smile grows on my face as we continue the walk home in peaceful silence.

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><p><strong>Sorry if it sucked, I pulled half of this out of my butt so that's why it's kind of random at times. But please, review this story cause it helps motivate me post more chapters. Thanks for reading~! Hasta la pasta!<strong>


	3. Teddie & Tiaras  Part 1

**Author's Note: Good grief, how long has it been since I updated this? Since last year on Christmas? Seriously? I suck, I know, sorry for the people who were actually following this. I finally managed to come up with some ideas to keep the story going. Hope you like it. Also, in the author's note on the second chapter, I have no freaking idea why I said "future tenses". ._. I fail so much...hope this is better, enjoy you wonderful readers! :D**

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><p>"Psst! Romano! Come over here for a quick second!" I mark the page on a book I am reading to Teddie and look up to see Antonio waving to me. Sighing, I tell Teddie I'll be right back and walk over to Antonio.<p>

I growl, "What do you want now?"

A huge grin spreads across Antonio's face, you know when a grin appears on Antonio's face it's not gonna be good.

"Romano, I have an idea for a fun trip the kids could have!" he enthused. "I was thinking about taking them to a water park that's less than an hour away!"

The thought processes through my mind, let's see, taking maybe about TWLEVE FUCKING KIDS to a stupid water park, with all the driving, possible traffic, and maybe even some meltdowns along the way? I don't fucking think so.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" I snap, a little bit louder than I wanted to. Antonio presses his finger against my mouth and I slap it away.

"Sh! Romano, we're in a daycare you know. Keep your language down." Antonio said softly.

"God, fucking…bastard…" I take a deep breath and rub my temple with circular motions, trying to keep myself calm.

"Look, how are we even going to pay for transportation? Let alone pay for anything? Do you know how much those water parks cost?"

Antonio blinks and sheepishly laughs. "Haha! I guess…I never thought of that!"

I bang my head against the wall. God, what a fucking dumb ass he is sometimes.

Antonio claps his hands together and looks at me, "We could raise money for the trip! How does that sound?"

I sigh, "Yeah, where do you think we're gonna get the money? It's not like some miracle is gonna pop out of nowhere!"

Antonio adds, "You know, every time someone says that, a miracle usually does happen."

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE A GIVE A FUCK?" I scream. All the kids from the daycare stop what they're doing and stare at me. I could feel my face turn red and I try not to make eye contact.

"U-uh…did I say 'fuck'? I meant to say fire truck! Aha…ha…" I try to hide my embarrassment, but it's hard when a certain bastard keeps grinning and you can see it out of the corner of your eye. I grab Antonio's shirt by the collar and give him my best death glare.

"Don't. You. Fucking. Laugh. Or I will RIP your god damn vocal cords out!"

Antonio cringes in fear and tries to remain clam.

"W-well Romano! Does that idea sound good to you?"

"Does it look like it sounds good to me? Does it look like I like the idea in the first place?"

"Well…no?"

"Exactly. So stop talking about it. I'm going back to Teddie, call me over when you have something more important to tell me." My last words come out as just a murmur as I head back to Teddie. When I take a seat next to him, he asks, "What were you and Antonio talking about?"

I sigh and explain the whole entire water park idea that he had and how we don't even have enough money to go. Teddie nods, "Oh, I see. So you want to go to the water park?"

"I could fuc…I mean, I could really care less. It's that air headed idiot who wants to go."

"Maybe there really is a way to raise money though." Teddie insists.

"It doesn't really matter any way. So, where were we in the book?"

Teddie hands me the book on the page where we left off and I begin reading once more.

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><p>Finally, evening had come and it was time to close up. All the parents had picked their kids up…except for Teddie's.<p>

"Where's your mom Teddie?" I ask him looking around.

"I don't know, she's usually here." He replies looking around as well.

Antonio comes out of the daycare, locking it up and adjusting his coat to make sure the cold wind doesn't freeze him. He walks up to us and explains, "I just finished talking to Teddie's mom, and she asked if we could walk him home tonight."

That's strange; Teddie's mom usually picks him up. She's late most of the time, and Teddie is the last to leave but at least she comes to pick him up. I wonder why this time she wants us to drop him off.

"How far away is the house though?"

"It's a little bit of a walk, but not too bad. Are you all right with that Teddie?"

Teddie nods and looks up at me. "Are you fine with that Romano?"

I suddenly feel really awkward. "Uh, yeah. Sure, I'm fine with it."

Antonio shows me the piece of paper with Teddie's address on it and he leads the way. Most of the walk is silent, with Teddie hovering very closely to me. Antonio looks behind every once in a while and smiles at me. I try to keep a straight face but couldn't help and smile a bit too.

As we were walking, Teddie stops right in front of a wall. I look over and see that he's looking at a flyer for something. Antonio and I see that he's staring at a beauty pageant advertisement. That's strange, why is he looking at something like that? Then my eyes look down below, the winner of the pageant is given 3,000 dollars in cash. That's probably more than enough for Antonio's trip. Antonio looks at me excitedly.

"Whoa, you win 3,000 dollars in cash! That's more than we make in a 2 years total!" Antonio exclaims.

"Think of what we could do with that money…" I utter.

"Yeah…we could make the daycare center so big with that money!" Antonio gushes over. I couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

"You idiot, this is what we need! We need that money for your stupid trip!"

It took a moment for Antonio to register that in his head until he finally realizes. "OH! You're right Romano! That's more than enough for the trip!"

"God you're slow sometimes…"

"Aha…but, wait, how are we going to enter? It says girls only, so…"

"How about tomorrow you ask some of the girl's parents if they'd be willing to enter their daughters in this?" I suggest.

"I'm pretty sure they would say no. I hear the parents often talking about how terrible these kind of things are any way." Antonio said.

I try to think, there has to be a way to enter this. Maybe if we find someone who would be willing to enter for us, no, wait, that's way too stupid. No one would ever agree to give us all the money to ourselves. We need someone nearby, someone who would be willing to do this for the daycare and us….

Suddenly, an idea popped in my head. It's pretty obvious, I mean, who wouldn't think of it? I think Antonio had the same thing, we both looked at each other and then at Teddie.

"Teddie," I start, "This is going to sound really outrageous…"

"But do you think you could pull off being a girl for this beauty pageant?" Antonio finishes.

Teddie stares at us for a long time. I'm pretty sure he was processing the entire thought of cross-dressing as a girl to enter some contest to win money for a dumb trip for his daycare center.

"I'd be ok. It's for the daycare center so, I'll be ok." He said in a quiet voice.

"Really? You would?" Antonio is shocked and gives Teddie a tight hug. "You're such a good boy Teddie~! I'm so glad that I know kid like you~!"

Teddie is silent even when Antonio started laughing like a perverted creep and I had to push him off. It was a crazy idea, but if Teddie was willing to do it, why not give it a shot? Now there's only one thing standing in the way of our idea.

And that, is Teddie's mom.

* * *

><p>When we approached Teddie's home, it was basically an old looking shack. What used to be white paint is chipped off, the roof is weak looking but it's holding up somehow, and the door is cracked and have faded graffiti on it.<p>

"This…is where you live?" I'm speechless and have nothing else to say.

"Yeah, the inside is nicer looking." Teddie said walking forward.

I mutter under my breath, "I sure hope so."

Teddie knocks on the door and waits for an answer. Antonio and I nervously look at each other and try to examine the inside from a nearby window. The hinges creak loudly as the door swings open and Teddie's mom is standing there.

"Oh, hello. You must be Antonio and…Romano?" she spoke in almost a hushed tone. At first I thought I was going deaf but I figured it was how she normally talked.

Antonio is the first to speak. "Yes, we are Antonio and Romano. We came to drop off Teddie."

"Thank you, I appreciate your help. I haven't been feeling very well so it's nice to have someone help take care of Teddie."

"No problem at all, Teddie is a really nice kid to hang around. You did a great job…uh…" I trail off, not knowing what to call Teddie's mom.

"You can call me Anna." Anna looks at me with no expression and takes Teddie's hand.

"Well, we will be going now. Thank you again." Before she closes the door I stop it.

"Wait, before we go. We need to ask you something."

Anna's eyes grow wide and I could see sweat beginning to form on her forehead. Yet she could still talk with that quiet voice of hers.

"What is that?" she practically whispered.

"Antonio here wants to take the daycare kids on a trip for fun. Thing is we don't have the money for it. So, Anna…"

I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut. "We were wondering if it was all right to enter Teddie in this beauty pageant to raise the money for the trip."

Silence followed, all we could hear was the faint chirps of birds nearby…


	4. Teddie & Tiaras Part 2

**Author's Note: I'M SO FREAKING SORRY, I haven't updated this poor thing in a while. I got sidetracked, my beta reader quit on me, and I got really frustrated with this chapter. I thought the writing in it was bad and sloppy and I just hated it. -_- But, here it is. Sorry if this chapter is confusing or messily written. I promise I'll make the next one better. T_T Enjoy~ and FAVORITE OR REVIEW IF YOU LIKE IT PLEASE~ I love getting me some reviews, it keeps me motivated to write. :D**

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><p>"<em>We were wondering if it was all right to enter Teddie in this beauty pageant to raise the money for the trip."<em>

All Anna did was stare at us like we were nuts. She was probably thinking, _Why the hell do I let these two men take care of my child?_

Finally she asks, "What is the prize?"

Antonio replies, "About 3,000 dollars in cash."

Anna sighed and looked at Teddie. "Ok, I'll let you enter him." She holds up one finger. "On one condition."

Antonio and I look at each other with suspicion. "What might that be?" Antonio asks.

"You will share the prize money with me." Anna finishes.

I thought it was fair enough, I mean, the prize was more than enough for our trip. So it would be fair right?

"Fine, you have a deal." I offer my hand for a shake; Anna grabs it with surprising strength and nearly crushes my hand. We make our final agreements and get permission to enter Teddie. We both thank Anna and make our way home.

That night I was completely restless. I thought of all that happened today. How is Teddie handing all this? Is his mother really all right with all this? Is Antonio going to be an oblivious bastard as always? What about the beauty pageant? What is that going to be like? All that appears in my head are little girls wandering around who are probably soon going to be hookers as adults. I can't sleep, there's just too much shit on my mind. I turn over to my brother.

"Veneziano…" I quietly say. My brother turns over and smiles at me.

"Yes Romano?" he asks.

I struggle with my words, trying to avoid saying anything sappy or wimpy. Even though right now I want to tell my brother all my feelings. But that's so…girly, and I'm not a fucking girl!

"…I'm going to stay at a hotel for the past few days. You know, for the pageant. You better not invite that stupid potato bastard over while I'm gone." I add the last part in with a smirk.

My brother chuckles a bit, but soon stops and stares at me in a serious way. "Are you worried Romano? You seem…uneasy." my brother asks with concern.

God, how can my brother seem to sense how I'm feeling? "Of course I'm worried. Why wouldn't I be?" I speak in a fast and irritated tone.

Veneziano pats me on the head. "You'll be fine, don't worry. I'm sure everything will be all right."

"W-whatever…good night." I turn my back towards Veneziano and try to fall asleep.

"Goodnight…ti amo Romano." My brother whispers the last part and closes his eyes.

"…Ti amo…" I whisper back.

* * *

><p>Every day we prepared Teddie for the beauty pageant as it crept closer. Mainly Antonio did most of the work, such as buying extensions for Teddie's hair and planning how to dress him. He ordered all of the outfits Teddie would need for the pageant and possibly more for his own sick amusement. Somehow I have a feeling that he is having a little too much fun with this. In fact, I KNOW he is having too much fun doing this.<p>

A week passed, and it was finally the first day of the beauty pageant. My alarm wakes me up and I grumpily look out the window and try to shield the sunlight from my eyes. I groggily roll out of bed and hit the floor face-flat, screaming vile curses and waking my brother up.

"Romano? Are you all right?" He asks, rushing to my side to help me up.

"Does it look like I'm all right you dumb ass? I fucking rolled on the floor and hit my face!" I scream at him.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad. Oh, isn't today the day of the beauty pageant?"

I suddenly remember that today is the day Antonio and me enter Teddie in the beauty pageant. What the hell? How did the week pass by so quickly? I groan and stagger over to the shower not answering my brother. I am not prepared for this day!

I close the bathroom door and make sure to lock it so no one bursts in like _last time_. My fists clench tightly remembering how Antonio busted in that one morning. I turn the water on and feel the ice cold water pour from the showerhead. I shiver, taking my clothes off and standing in the bathroom butt naked waiting for the water to heat up. (Fucking pervs, you're actually imagining me butt naked aren't you?) My head turns to the door when I hear a knock. Ugh! I'm trying to take a goddamn shower here! What does my brother fucking want?

"What the fuck do you want?" I yell.

"Romano! It's me with Teddie!" Antonio answers.

I nearly lose it when I hear Antonio's voice. I shut the water off, since it's probably not going to warm up anytime soon, and put my clothes back on. I unlock the door and swing it open to see Antonio sitting on my bed with Teddie.

"Oh Romano! It's nice to see you~!" He walks up to me for a hug but I push him away.

"B-BASTARD! GET AWAY FROM ME! I'm sticky and gross from last night! So I don't want people touching me!"

"Sticky and gross?" A creepy smile appears on Antonio's face, "What were you doing last night Romano~?"

I blush furiously when I realize what Antonio was implying. I head butt him in the stomach with as much force as I could muster.

"FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING PERVERT!" I scream.

"Ow! Aha…Romano…that really hurt!" Antonio gingerly rubs his stomach and tries to hide his obvious pain.

As I turn to walk away, I feel something small bump into me. I look down and see Teddie standing in front of me.

"Romano…" he said.

I take a deep breath and try to lower my voice. "Uh, what is it Teddie?"

"Today is the day of the beauty pageant." He states.

No shit Sherlock, I thought, but of course I didn't say that to Teddie.

"Yeah, it is. Are you…erm, excited?" I ask for lack of a better word.

"Yes I am. I will do my best to win the pageant."

"Good for you then…" I shyly pat Teddie on the head. All I could think about was if this beauty pageant is going to be worth it or not. I mean...what if Teddie doesn't win?

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><p>Immediately after breakfast it was time to head down to where the beauty pageant was taking place. Veneziano wished us luck and exchanged hugs with Antonio before we left. (No, I was not fucking jealous. Why would I be jealous? Hmph!) Antonio drove Teddie and me in his small car to the city. When we arrived, Antonio found a parking space near the hotel where the pageant was taking place. The moment we got out of the car, there were probably about 200 or more little girls and their parents standing around the hotel, and that was just the outside. To think all of these little girls are trying to win their parents 3,000 dollars must be a lot of pressure.<p>

"Do you have the paperwork Antonio?" I turn to Antonio shuffling through the car trying to find the paper work. (When I fucking told him to keep it in hand at all times!)

"Y-yes! Here it is! All in this folder!" He said holding up the white clear file folder. "And we have Teddie! We're set!"

I nod. "Good, Teddie, are you ready?"

Teddie steps out of the car dressed up in a light blue dress with a teddy bear stamped on the chest and long black hair. (Which are really extensions)

Teddie examines the many girls ahead and the giant building before him. "Yes, I'm ready. The extensions are itchy though…" he says scratching his head making one of the extensions fall out.

"I'm sorry about that but you'll just have to make it until tonight, then you can take them off, all right? I say putting the extension back into Teddie's hair.

"All right…" Teddie grabbed my hand and we made our way towards the building. It was really awkward walking through the crowd of moms with their daughters. Every time we passed, people stared at us and some I could see were smirking. They probably thought we were gay men or something entering our daughter into this pageant. What an embarrassment, I wanted to fucking die…

"Hello!" A young woman greets us as we enter. "You must be Romano and Antonio! We are so excited to have our first male parents enter the pageant! You're already well known with the other pageant moms!"

_Oh great, _I thought. _Just what we need, a lot of attention towards us. Maybe at least some of the women here are attractive and single..._

"Right now the contestants are just having rehearsals, so you can sign in right at that table over there and you'll be ready to go!"

"So when is the first round going to happen?" I ask the woman.

"Oh, it'll be very soon. We have about a half hour before the real deal happens! Haha!" The woman talks in a super energetic voice that sounds fake and exaggerated to me.

We approach the table and the woman asks for our name and registration papers. I overlook them before Antonio hands them over. Everything looked fine to me; the only thing that shocked me was that Teddie was apparently 6, not 5.

"Name?" the woman asked.

"Romano Vargas and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." I reply.

"Good, sign in right here and you're good to go."

"Thank you." I sign our names quickly and head backstage. We weave our way through the crowd of moms and daughters, with scent of perfume and hair spray filling the area.

"God it smells here…" I mutter to myself.

"Look at all these little girls Romano~! Aren't they so cute? Oh look! That one is dressed in a traditional salsa dancing outfit!" Antonio pointed and gushed over the many outfits and girls he was seeing as we made our way. I was utterly disgusted and wanted to punch that bastard right in the face to possibly blind him for a good few days.

"Just shut the fuck up and keep walking." I grit my teeth and guide Antonio and Teddie to the backstage door. A bodyguard was there to stop us right before he we enter.

"Hold it, only one parent per child is allowed backstage. One of you is going to have to stay behind." The bodyguard declared in a _very _deep voice. I felt my palms sweat and looked over at Antonio.

"A-Antonio, it should probably be you. I mean, you know more about this stuff than I do." I say to him.

Antonio shakes his head. "Yes, but you have the closest relationship with Teddie, I think he would be more comfortable with you Romano."

I look down at Teddie; he's staring blankly at the door with no expression on his face. I kneel down to his eye level.

"Teddie? Do you want Antonio or me backstage with you?"

Teddie blinked a couple times before he nodded. "I want you backstage."

I can't help but smile, "Ok, I'll go backstage. Antonio, I guess that means you'll be watching us in the audience."

Antonio nods and grins at both of us. He gives a thumbs up and wishes us luck. I take Teddie by his small hand and walk through the doors. I look back at Antonio waving before the doors shut completely.

…I have now entered the realm of a beauty pageant, and there's no turning back now.


	5. Teddie & Tiaras Part 3

**A/N: I swear, my writing is getting freaking sloppy. Or is it just me being harsh on myself? Oh well, here you guys go, this chapter is my first 3,000+ word chapter. Enjoy and PLEASE leave a review and favorite if you like this story!**

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><p>"Romano? Are you sick?" Teddie felt my hands as they started dripping with sweat. I just started and already feel like giving up and forgetting that any of this even happened. I can't let any of this work go to waste though; I need to keep going even if it fucking kills me.<p>

"Y-yeah…of course I am." I lied, forcing myself to walk down the hallway. Everywhere I looked, there were little girls with gallons of makeup on, hair about the length of the Empire State Building, and skimpy outfits that were disgusting to look at. Luckily the parents were distracted by their daughters and didn't notice as I stared and walked by with Teddie.

"Romano…? Am I going to have to wear makeup?" Teddie asked.

"I guess so, but it will be all right. It won't be so bad." I lied again; of course it was going to be fucking bad. I can't imagine what a pain in the ass it is for girls who wear makeup to put it on every day.

We finally arrive at the dressing room with a crowd of moms and daughters scattered around. When I enter, they all stop and stare. I can't even explain how awkward I felt standing in a room filled with moms of all shapes and sizes. (And I when I say all shapes and sizes, I mean that the moms were either skinny as sticks or fat as a hippo)

"U-uh…hello…I'm Romano, if you all didn't know by now…haha…" I force out a smile and look down at Teddie for some possible help.

All Teddie does is stare and not say a word. I awkwardly walk towards a clothing rack and search for Teddie's set of outfits, trying to ignore the many eyes set on me. Eventually the parents continue focusing on their daughter and ignore me. Thank god. I push away many sparkly and glittery outfits until I find a sign with Teddie's name written on it. Behind are all his outfits he will need for the pageant. I look through them and make sure that they're all here until my eye caught sight of _one_ certainoutfit.I pull out a two-piece bathing suit with red and yellow stripes on it, with the word, "España" printed on the back of the bottom piece. What the fucking hell? Is Antonio really trying to make his sick and perverted dreams come alive? God, I knew I shouldn't have trusted him with the outfits.

"Excuse me, but are you Romano?" My thoughts are interrupted when I turn around and a young woman is standing before me. She had long brown hair and green eyes; she smiles and offers her hand.

"My name is Elizabeta, I'm one of the judges for the pageant."

Well, at least she's attractive enough. I try to put on my best smile and speak in a flirtatious tone.

"Oh, hello there. I didn't notice such a beautiful woman like you standing there. My name is Romano, it's very nice to meet you." I take her hand and almost kiss it before she slaps my face away.

"Sorry Romano, but I'm already seeing someone. I'm quite flattered you take interest in me though. You are fairly attractive. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the pageant moms goes after you." She flashes a grin at me and giggles a bit. The very thought of one of those pageant moms going after me is enough to make me vomit.

I sigh, "Ugh, that's disgusting. I sure hope not." I glance around making sure none of the moms heard me then look back at Elizabeta. "Any ways, what are you doing backstage? Shouldn't you be waiting to see all these girls dressed up on stage?"

Elizabeta shakes her head. "I usually come back here to check on everything. Besides, I usually don't remember most of the outfits. So it's still a surprise at least."

It was silent after that. I turn my attention back to the clothing rack and examine the horrifying detail of the sparkles and sequins on each outfit. I look over my shoulder and see that Elizabeta is still standing behind me.

"Do you need something?" I try and make my tone sound irritated, hoping to scare her off.

"Yes, I actually have two questions for you. First, who is your daughter?" She looks down at Teddie and kneels down to his eye level. Teddie hides behind me and looks warily at Elizabeta.

"This is my daughter Teddie." I try and push Teddie in front of me but he resists and hides again.

"Oh wow! She's adorable; I won't be surprised if the judges pick you as the winner! I know I would!" Elizabeta smiles and stands back up. Her face suddenly turns grim.

"My second question is very serious…please answer honestly."

Oh shit, has she found out about Teddie ALREADY? Am I really that bad at hiding his gender? Is she going to disqualify me? Is all the effort we put into this going to be a waste? I just fucking started! I can't get kicked out already! Elizabeta was quiet; she didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. My eyes wander around the room and try to find something to get me away from this woman.

"Are you and that your friend, Antonio in a relationship?" Her tone was serious, but had a hint of…excitement I guess you could say to her question. Nonetheless, I was completely shocked and could feel my face turn bright red.

"W-what? W-why the hell would I be in a relationship with a guy?" I try to keep my voice low and hide my blushing face.

Elizabeta giggles, "You don't need to hide it. I'm not homophobic if that's what you're thinking." She brushes a finger against my cheek and grins. "I love gay men, they're my favorite type of people."

I honestly had no response to that, I mean, what was I suppose to say? "Yeah, I totally think gay men are hot too"? No fucking way. This woman was proving to be one of the strangest ones I've met in my life. (And I've met some pretty insane ones in the past)

"Oh well, too bad that you don't have a liking to your friend. Cause if you did I probably would have helped you win the pageant." Elizabeta began to walk away until I stopped her.

"Wait," she stops and turns around, smiling mischievously. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

Elizabeta digs through her pocket and holds up a small silver digital camera. "If you let me take a picture of you and your friend doing something romantic with each other, I will make sure that your daughter wins the pageant."

All I could think was god, ANOTHER promise I have to make with ANOTHER woman? I wouldn't want to be caught dead doing something romantic with Antonio! S-so what if I have those dreams of him and me having a passionate night out or something? T-that doesn't really mean anything! (You never fucking heard that, YOU HEAR ME?)

"Fuck no, I'm not doing something like that." I snap.

"Shh, don't swear in front of the children Romano." Elizabeta playfully waves her finger in front of my face. "And I guess if you won't do it, I'll wish the best of luck to both of you. Ta ta for now."

She begins to skip away, smiling brightly and humming a tune out the door. Pfft, I'll prove to her that Teddie can win this without any help. He doesn't need some kind of cheat! He can win this with his own skills! Just have her watch!

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><p>A man with a classic styled tuxedo on and bright toothy smile walks on stage and grabs the microphone, speaking in a loud voice, "Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! We are glad to announce that our 8th annual beauty pageant will begin!"<p>

The crowd goes wild with clapping and shouting echoing from all over the dining room. The dining room is fairly big, with a couple hundred seats with a big stage right in the center. The stage is a simple setup, with a long catwalk attached to the center. Flowers, tiaras, and a bunch of other girly shit that makes me sick are covering the background on the stage. The place was suppose to be decorated to look "princess-y" but really it looked like the color pink had a hangover and vomited all over the place. I scanned the audience and saw that Antonio grabbed a seat right next to the catwalk. No surprise really, creepy bastard wants to get a better look at all the girls.

Before I look away, I notice someone sitting next to him, who is that? Is that…a woman? Wait…oh shit, that's not any woman, it's Teddie's teacher! God damn it! What is she doing here?

"Parents! It's time to line the girls up!" A woman claps her hands together and motions for the parents to get ready. I turn my attention to Teddie, taking one last look before he's ready to go on stage.

"You ready?" I ask, checking Teddie's light blue sparkly dress with white mini heels that are squeezing his feet.

"I don't know…" Teddie's face was grim; his eyes looking down at the floor.

Suddenly I do something that I hardly ever do. I grab Teddie and hug him tightly, patting his head gently. "It will be all right, you'll do fine."

I could feel Teddie's small arms wrap around me and his warm body close to mine. Letting him go, I watch as he heads towards the line. He looks at me and nods. A smile spreads across my face and I nod back.

The announcer paces back and fourth the stage explaining the rules of the pageant. Basically the first round is called "The Elimination Round", where the judges pick the top 20 contestants out of almost 300 to move on to the next round. They judge by the way the girls smile, walk, and present themselves on stage. It's pretty stupid, cause all of the girls are probably going to act the exact same way, so what's really the point?

The moms are dismissed and allowed to sit with their husbands or family relatives in the audience. I make my way to Antonio, only to see that Teddie's teacher is still sitting next to him. My fists clench and I place my hand on Antonio's shoulder, making him turn to face me.

"Oh Romano!" He tries to talk quietly, "How's Teddie doing? When is he going on?"

"He's going on pretty soon, but I really need to talk to you." I try and pull Antonio out of his seat before Teddie's teacher stops us.

"Wait, before you leave, I don't think we've had a proper introduction. My name is Kami; I'm Teddie's teacher. You must be Romano." I try and look interested but instantly start walking away.

"Good, nice to meet you, but Antonio and me need to get going, hope we can talk some more!" I grab Antonio by the arm and rush outside to the lobby. I shut the doors behind us and take a deep breath.

"Romano? Is something wrong?" Antonio asks, completely oblivious to what's going on.

"Well…" I explain to him the whole entire meeting of Elizabeta minus her strange wish. I left out most of the details about that because I knew Antonio would start questioning me about it.

"I see, so…are you going to grant Elizabeta's wish, whatever it is, so Teddie can win the pageant?"

"W-well, her wish is a little, I should say, outrageous so I don't know." I try and answer as vaguely as possible, but Antonio wasn't buying it.

"You're not telling me everything, I can tell." Antonio steps closer to me and soon I'm backed up against a wall, with Antonio's face close to mine. "Are you hiding something?"

Many thoughts fly through my mind and I'm in a daze, I have no idea what to do. My automatic instinct would be to push him away and run, but something tells me that won't work right now. I need to answer Antonio, but I can't tell him what Elizabeta really wanted, it's too damn embarrassing!

"I'm not hiding anything." My voice is quiet and I can feel myself shaking. Antonio's mesmerizing eyes stare straight into mine; I shut my eyes and feel his warm breath on my face.

"Romano and Antonio!" Elizabeta bursts through the doors and approaches us. Immediately upon seeing Antonio and me her face turns to shock.

"W-wait! It's not what you think!" I push Antonio away and stumble in front of Elizabeta.

"O-oh my…well…I'm very sorry for interrupting you two!"

I shake my head, "N-NO! THAT'S NOT—!"

"What do you want?" Antonio's tone is serious and he leans away from me.

"Teddie just went on." Elizabeta shakes her head and frowns. "She didn't do so well."

I feel my heart sink, what the hell could have happened? We practiced every day! What could have possibly went wrong? Antonio looks concerned and walks past Elizabeta to the dining room. She looks at me with sadness and sighs.

"Teddie stumbled a lot on stage. She also didn't make eye contact the judges, all she did was look around the audience, probably looking for you."

Guilt filled my stomach; I can't believe the very first time Teddie goes on stage that I wasn't there to support him. He's probably traumatized right now.

"She got a very low score from the judges." Elizabeta shows her notepad with Teddie's name written on the top. "Except from me. So you still have a chance, there's a short intermission before we announce the results. If I can snap a picture by then, I'll change the votes for her. What do you say?"

I was silent and didn't say anything. I walked past Elizabeta, before opening the doors to the dining hall I turned around. "Keep an eye out." I say.

Elizabeta smiles and pulls out her digital camera so the strap is hanging off her wrist. "Glad that we could work something out."

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><p>The dining hall is filled with conversation when I walk in, all the girls were with their parents either grinning widely or crying on the floor. I walk past one girl who was bawling her eyes out and her mother was having a difficult time calming her down.<p>

"B-but mommy, I wasn't perfect!" she cried out.

"Oh honey, it's ok, just because you weren't perfect doesn't mean that the judges won't like you!" The mother tries to wipe the tears off but the daughter screams and backs away. I feel my head start to ache and look around for Teddie. I finally spot him and Antonio sitting in a corner. Antonio is holding Teddie in his lap and looks distressed. I prepare myself for the worst and slowly make my way through the crowd.

When I approach them, Teddie lifts his head up and looks at me. His usual deadpan expression is still there. It doesn't even look like he cried a bit. I drop to my knees and hang my head in shame.

"I'm…so sorry Teddie." My voice weavers and I fight back possible tears. "I wasn't there when you went on stage, I hope you can forgive me. I don't blame you if you don't though. I would probably do the same thing."

Teddie tilts his head in confusion and walks over to me grabbing my hand. "What are you saying Romano? I'm not mad at you."

My head shoots up and I'm completely speechless. "W-what?"

"I'm not mad. My teacher was there, and she cheered me on."

"S-she did?"

Antonio smiles and explains to me that he told Kani what was going on. That she knew about Teddie cross-dressing from the start. I had no idea how to react; I felt all my feelings stir inside of me. I sit up against the wall and shut my eyes. Hoping to fall asleep and maybe wake up at home again. I was due for my daily siesta any way.

"And..." My eyes flicker open and look over at Teddie without moving. "I know that Romano and Antonio were cheering me on, even if they weren't in the room."

That fucking punched me right in the heart. I place my hand on my face and take a deep shaky breath trying to calm myself down. Teddie pulled on my sleeve, wanting to tell me something else.

"I also made a new friend." Teddie said.

"You did?" I ask.

"Yes, she's very nice. She's right over there." Teddie points to a blonde haired girl sitting on her mother's lap smiling brightly and laughing. She's dressed in a purple tutu with sequins all over it. I see Teddie staring at her and shake my head.

"Well, go on and talk to her." Teddie looks at me and without hesitation, runs over to the girl. When she notices Teddie running towards her she smiles and waves. I see Teddie wave back and look at me. Then for the first time, I saw him _smile._

I could hear Antonio laugh, "You made Teddie smile Romano! You really are amazing sometimes."

I ignore what Antonio said and stare blankly at the ceiling. My head hurts like shit and I can't think straight. Ugh, I can't wait until they tell us who won already so we can leave.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Elizabeta staring intently at me. She puckers her lips and points to Antonio, implying an obvious action. I groan and decide that I might as well get it over with.

"Hey Antonio." Antonio turns around and looks at me.

"Yes?" he cheerfully responds.

I stand up and decide to make this as quickly as possible. I grab Antonio by the shoulders and pull him in. My fingers ghost across his face as I lean in for a kiss. It's sweet and soft at first, but then it became incredibly passionate once our tongues got involved. Antonio's tongue entered my mouth pushing and struggling with mine for dominance. I wanted to push away, but the sensation felt so good that I felt my entire body become limp. Antonio pushed me against the wall and behind him I could see Elizabeta holding her camera up, snapping pictures of us. She put her camera down, began writing on her notepad, and held up a microphone to speak into.

"We would like to announce our fellow 20 contestants who will be moving forward to the next round that will take place tomorrow morning." She held up a piece of paper and began reading off a list. "When I call your name, you are qualified to move onto the next round."

"A-Antonio…listen…!" I push Antonio away by his chest and point to the judge's table where Elizabeta is standing.

"The first contestant who will be moving on," Elizabeta paused for a moment and looked at the list. "Is Romano and Antonio's daughter, Teddie!"


End file.
